Report: Cuts leave University of Wyoming campus less clean

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — Recent funding cuts implemented by the University of Wyoming have resulted in a campus that is less clean, according to a consultant’s report.

A report delivered to the UW Board of Trustees on Wednesday states that UW would need to invest about $660,000, including hiring about 20 more staff members, to reach an adequate level of cleanliness.

“The campus is generally clean and healthy and does not have a cleaning crisis,” the report states. “However, overall campus interior appearance, general cleanliness and conditions of interior surfaces are trending toward an unsustainable state.”

The report found that while UW had low turnover of custodial staff and comparatively good benefits for those custodians, the university paid its custodial staff less and asked them to do more than comparable institutions, the Laramie Boomerang reported .

Building tours tied to the report found stained carpets, scuffed hardwood floors and dirt buildup in the corners of bathrooms.

“I think this issue is extremely critical,” trustee Dave Bostrom said. “Because without cleanliness, without the whole functioning of this group of people we’re talking about, this university suffers greatly.”

The report was compiled and presented by consultant Ernest Hunter, who found that UW custodial staff was often working with outdated equipment and were required to clean more square feet than custodial staff at comparable institutions.

UW President Laurie Nichols said she appreciated the report.

“We would like to address this systemically and at the very foundation, so we can have a really good custodial and cleaning service on this campus,” Nichols said. “So, I would just caution us not to try to do a knee-jerk reaction to this, but allow our professionals and our team to come back with their comprehensive recommendations, which we will take very seriously.”

UW Operations provides custodial services to 72 administrative and academic buildings, which total approximately 4.1 million gross square feet and approximately 2.9 million cleanable square feet.